Mesilla Farmland Conservation Project
Doña Ana County
NMLC's Board Chair, Jack Wright, coordinated a farmland conservation plan for the Town of Mesilla in Doña Ana County as part of a process to help preserve some of the remaining agricultural lands along the Rio Grande River from being converted to residential development. Growth trends from 1967-2007 were mapped in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to determine how much farmland remains and its configurations. About 1,800 acres of farmland still exist - much of it along the Rio Grande corridor. Key lands were identified through public meetings and implementation techniques were presented that included cluster development, conservation easements, and the purchase of development rights within Mesilla. Funding for this project came through a grant from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration - Local Government Division. The final plan was presented to Mayour Michael Cadena and the Board of Trustees in October 2007.
Corrales Farmland Preservation Project
Sandoval County
NMLC continues to work under contract with the Village of Corrales to assist the Village with the implementation of their Farmland Preservation Program. In the Spring of 2007, NMLC worked with the Corrales Farmland Preservation Committee to prepare a new funding application to the U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service's Farm and Ranchland Protection Program. The Village
and NMLC were awarded $287,565 in June 2007, which will be matched with an equivalent amount of the Village bond measure funds and used to protect additional prime farmland within the Village by September 2009.
For more information regarding the conservation of lands and/or placing your property into an easement, please contact us.